Broom construction and the like



Jan. 19, 1932. Q B ABBOTT 1,842,058

BROOM CONSTRUCTION AND THE LIKE Filed Feb. 17, 1931 w fizvelotol' Charlasflflbbolt Patented Jan. 19, 1932 UNITED STATES CHARLES B. ABBOTT, F LOWELL, .MASSAGHUSETTS BROOM CONSTRUCTION AND THE LIKE Application. filed February 17,1931.

In the development of the broom, and particularly-the so-called corn broom, a succession of changes has brought about a generally standard type in which the corn is distributed and sewed as a more or less compacted head from which the free stalks extend from the shoulder as a flexible sweeping blade. My invention relates to the improvement of such a broom by overcoming certain difiiculties and providing for added advantages by a simple modification of structure as will appear from the following specification and the drawings to which it refers.

At the outset I call attention to the generally unobserved action of such a broom as that usually used for household or like sweeping. In order to render such a broom effective on the surface to be swept it has to be flexed to give a spread to its corn ends and provide tension or resilience. to friction the surface being swept in order to dislodge the dirt. This involves a distortion of the broom material in three dimensions and herein has developed the difficulties. Brooms generally have had a fiat end or base of extremely oblate conic form which in practice approached a flattened ellipse. In such a broom fleXation converted the base line or plane into a curved or arcuate form. In

such form the ends or corners of the broom were drawn up by the relative shortening of the straw so that the broom end was in operation convex.

In the drawings, I have attempted to illustrate both the problems and their solution.

The views are as follows:

Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved broom.

Fig. 2 is a similar view, the broom being Fig. 3 is a perspective view of such a broom in use.

Fig. 4 is a bottom view showing in dotted V lines the sweeping surface of a broom expanded laterally under sweeping pressure.

The usual broom as illustrated herein comprises a handle 1 on which the broom corn 2 is fastened in successive coats or layers by 0 continuous windings of a wire 3 which at one end passes through a hole drilled in the end Serial No. 516,315.

of the handle. Several turns of the wire are made to anchor the same before the first or underwo-rk coat of'broom corn is put on. When this underwork coat is firmly bound in place by the wire 3, it is followed by a cover coat, which is usually bound by the same wire, and onto which is bound the finishing coats. The binding wire 3 is then wound on and fastened to the handle l by one or more nails or fastenings.

At this stage of formation the fibres 5 of the .broom are evenly distributed about the handle 1 in the form of a round skirt or cone. In order properly to reduce the skirt 5 to its customary flattened form, as it leaves the winding machine it is dropped into a pair of aws'of proper design which press it to shape. it is .then stitched at the waist "W with two or more sewings 4 to hold the'corn in proper position or "formation. The foregoing is all 10' standard broom construction but is all relat- .ed basis for any improved broom.

The next step in broom manufacture is to cut the corn fibres to an equal length toprovide proper sweeping edge or hearing, as the same has been understood. During this cutting action the corn fibres are held together. Upon being released the corn flares out and assumes the form in which the floor or rug contacting surface is resultantly generally convex.

In the fiat, straight or convex end lay the main objections and deficiencies inall brooms prior to my invention. When such a broom is in use, an equal flexing thereof caused only the central portion effectually to engage the surface. The ends were substantially free, with the result that the broom ends do not perform efficiently and cannot enter the corn ners or the configurations of moldings or door frames.

By my present invention I am able to provide a broom capable of operation to sweep all surfaces as well as all corners and other usually inaccessible places, and one in which the lower or sweeping edge presents an equally effective bearing surface at all times during its use.

This great advantage I secure by cutting the bottom of the broom to a concave 6 instead of straight surface which produced the approximately convex bearing surface of the standard broom in action. The depth of the concave cut 6 varies according to the size of the broom, and in view of the tendency of the fibres to flare, as I make a deeper out than is desired in the resultant sweeping edge. For example, I produce a three-eighths inch concavity in an eleven inch broom, when the fibres are assembled for cutting, to provide the center of the cutting arc three-fourths of an inch deep.

Such a cutting produces a broom the out side ends 5 of which will be extensible to reach into corners or around moldings of door frames or pillars.

My concave cut requires a very slight pressure to bring the full width of the broom to a perfect sweeping bearing on the floor. The greater life of such a broom and its continued usefulness is apparent over the stand ard type of broom, the edges of which are rapidly worn away or brokenas the result of distortion resulting from the force which is unequally applied thereto in an effort to direct it into places which are easily reached by my broom in its ordinary sweeping action.

Various modifications in the construction of the broom as a whole and in the depth of the cut or the diameter of the circle of which the concave bottom is a segment may obviously be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention if within the limits of the appended claim.

What I therefore claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A broom head consisting of a body of assembled fibres of substantially uniform thickness throughout, the under or sweeping surface of said body being concaved continuously from edge to edge thereof to cause said fibres to progressively increase in flexibility continuously from the center towards the edges of the broom head, said under or sweeping surface joining the side portions of the fibre body at an acute angle to the plane of the surface to be swept so as to be outwardly distensible to lie in the plane of the surface to be swept when normal sweeping pressure is applied to the broom, and thus to reach into otherwise inaccessible corners.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES B. ABBOTT. 

